Firearm.



, Patented July 24, I900. J. C. WlLKlN.

FIREARM.

(Application filed Mar. 13, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Units STATES trier-t.

: ATEN'I "FIREARMI.

srnerrron'rron for-mag part of Letters Patent'No. 654,336, dated. July 24, 1900. Application filed March 13, 1900. Serial No. 8,4:8'7- (No model.)

To all whom it may con/eerie: U I

Be it known that I, JAMES C. WILKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cedar Rapids, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Firearms; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide in a neat, simple, and convenient manner for the attachment of a rifle to a double shotgun.

The nature of the invention will clearly appear from the description and claims followin g, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side view of a gun embodying my improvements; Fig. 2 is a side view of the breech portion of the rifle and a part of the connecting-stock. Fig. 3 is a central 1ongitudinal section of the same in a horizontal plane. Fig. A is asectional detail showing the manner of attaching the muzzle end of the rifle, and Fig. 5 is a sectional detail showing the attachment of the breech portion of the rifle to the shotgun.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

In the drawings, A designates a shotgun of a familiar type, the part known as the foreend not being shown, as this part is removed preliminary to the attachment of the rifle.

B is a rifle-barrel, which may be made as light as is consistent with safety, so as not to greatly increase the weight of the gun. This rifle-barrel at the breech end is attached to a breech-block holder 0, as by screwing into the forward end of the same. The middle of the holder is mortised out to take the breechblock, which is pivoted to it at D. The

breech-block D is provided with a longitudi-.

, nal hole D to take the firing-pin E. Back of stud of the firing-pin, adjacent and at its rear. end connecting with a lever I, pivoted at the rear end of the breech-block holder. By turning this lever forward the firing-pin is retracted to the cocked position, as shown. Normally the lever lies in a groove made for it in the back portion of the substituted fore-end J, which may be of wood, and is hinged to the front portion or breech-block holder at J. The breech-block holder and the part J together form a structure similar in form to the detached fore-end and attach to the shotgun in the same manner, being connected with the downwardly-projectin g lug A of the shotgun in some suitable way, as by a pin J 2 engaginga notch in said lug.

In the slot of the breech-block opposite the cocking-hook is mounted asear K, adapted to engage the firing-pin stud on that side and held in engagement by a spring L. The tail of the sear abuts against a pin M, projecting out to near the outside of the breech-block holder and provided at the outer end with a button M, which the operator presses inwardly to disengage the scar and discharge the rifle. A spring M under this button serves to hold it in normal position.

The reduced front end E of the firing-pin passes through a hole D registering with the f ulminating part of the cartridge N, which in this case is the rim, as shown. The breechblock is held up .in normal position by the nose I of the lever I engaging a notch D A notch D is also formed in the breech-block, coinciding with the position of the lug of the cocking-hook when drawn back to allow the breech-block to swing down, as shown in Fig. 2. It will be evident that a similar notch should be formed near the front end of the breech-block,so as to allow it to pass the pushpin M, the construction being so obvious as to require no illustration.

The front end of the rifle-barrel is provided with a hook B, entering a hole A in the concave rib A connecting the shot-barrels on the under side. To attach the rifle, it is but necessary to remove the shotgun fore-end, insert the hook B in the hole in the rib, set the concave rear end of the fore-end part J at the front end of the stock proper, spring the jointed parts upwardly, and insert the pin or key J in the lug A.

The cocking of the rifle, as will be seen, at the same time releases the breech-block for the removal of an old shell and the insertion of a cartridge, after which the breech-block is pressed back to position and the lever I restored to its normal position. The rifle is then ready for firing, which is done by a finger of the left hand grasping the fore-end.

The combined shotgun and rifle so constructed is extremely neat and attractive in appearance, and while the weight of the gun as a whole is not objectionably increased there is at the same time the requisite amount of weight for steadiness and accuracy in rifle shooting.

'Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A rifle attachment for double shotguns, comprising a rifle-barrel attachable to the lower middle rib of said gun, a breech-block holder secured to the breech of the rifle-barrel, a breech-block hinged therein, a supplemental fore-end hinged to the breech-block holder, and means for attaching the same to the shotgun, substantially as described.

2. A rifle attachment for double shotguns, comprising a rifle-barrel, with means for attaching the same to the lower middle rib of the gun, a breech-block at the breech end of said barrel, a firing-pin therein, a lever and connected cocking mechanism adapted to engage said pin, and a sear also engaging said pin and adapted to be disengaged by a finger of the operator, substantially as described.

3. In a rifle attachment for shotguns, the combination with a rifle-barrel, of a breechblock holder, a breech-block hinged therein, a spring-actuated firing-pin mounted in the breech-block, a cocking-hook adapted to engage said firing-pin, a lever adapted to draw back said hook when moved out of normalposition and to lock the breech-block when in normal position, and a pin -engaging sear adapted to be operated by the sportsmans finger, substantially as described.

4. In a rifle attachment for double shotguns, the combination with a rifle-barrel and breechblock holder, substantially as described, of a breech-block hinged in the holder, and provided with a longitudinal hole for a firingpin, and lateral slots communicating therewith, a spring-actuated firing-pin having lateral studs mounted therein, a cocking-hook adapted to engage one of said studs, a lever to draw back said hook, and a finger-operated sear to engage the other lug of the firing-pin.

5. In a rifle attachment, the combination of the breech-block holder,a breech-block hinged therein, and having a longitudinal hole for the firing-pin and adjacent slots communicating with said hole, a spring-actuated firing-pin mounted in the breech-block, and having lateral lugs projecting into said slots, a finger-operated sear to engage one of said lugs, a cocking-hook to engage the other lug, a lever to retract the same, the breech-block holder having an internal groove coinciding with the slot in the breech-block, to take said cocking-hook, substantially as set forth.

6. In a rifle attachment, the combination of a breech-block holder, a breech-block hinged therein, and having a longitudinally-slotted receptacle for the firing-pin, a firing-pin mounted therein, a cocking-hook adapted to engage the firing-pin, and projecting into said slot, and a transverse notch in the side of the breech-block to allow it to swing down past the inward projection of the cocking-hook, substantially as set forth.

7. In a rifle attachment, the combination with the rifle-barrel, breech-block and holder, substantially as described, of a firing-pin mounted in the breech-block, means for retracting the same, a sear to engage said pin when in retracted or cooked position, and a push-pin near the forward end of the breechblock holder adapted to disengage the sear by the pressure of a finger.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J AMES O. WILKIN.

Witnesses:

JOHN G. HEALD, M. H. BURTON. 

